MLB Player News

Giavotella agreed to a minor league deal with the Orioles on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

The 29-year-old spent the better part of the past two seasons with the Angels big league club, slashing .267/.305/.375 over 869 plate appearances as their primary second baseman. Despite his below average glove, he offers the Orioles much needed infield depth and will compete for a bench spot in spring training.

Torres received an invitation to the big league club's spring training.

Coming off a standout showing at the Arizona Fall League where he hit .403 with a 1.158 OPS, Torres has been tabbed as one of the Yankees' most promising prospects, so it comes as no surprise that he'll train at their top camp. Although Torres is sound in the field and has continued improving his swing, chances remain slim that he'll make his way up to the majors in 2017. At just 20 years old, Torres has yet to play above the High-A level and is slated to begin the coming season at Double-A Tampa.

Petit signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays on Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Sportsnet's Shi Davidi reports.

Petit was designated for assignment by the Angels this offseason after a rough 2016 campaign in which the utility infielder posted a wRC+ of 78 over 89 games played. He'll likely serve as organizational infield depth for the Blue Jays in 2017.

Andrus (groin) is expected to be healthy for the start of the 2017 season, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Andrus said that he's being careful while rehabbing his injury, but plans to be ready for the upcoming campaign. He also said that the groin ailment limited his ability to steal bases throughout 2016, so an increase in stolen base production may be in order for the 28-year-old shortstop.

Espinosa agreed to a one-year, $5.425 million contract with the Angels on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

The former Washington National will see close to a $3 million pay raise with his new club in 2017. Espinosa had a disappointing final season with the Nationals, slashing .209/.306/.378 with 174 strikeouts. He did, however, mash 24 home runs and drove in 72 runs. Espinosa figures to be the Angels' primary second baseman, which is a position that the club struggled to find production from last year.

Espinosa was traded to the Angels on Saturday, Josh Norris of Baseball America reports.

Espinosa will head to Los Angeles after playing 779 games with the Nationals over parts of the last seven seasons. He played shortstop in Washington, but with Andrelton Simmons playing that position for the Angels, Espinosa will presumably move to second base. Espinosa hit just .209 last season, but did set career highs with 24 home runs and 72 RBI over 157 games.

Polanco is the leading candidate for Minnesota's starting shortstop job as spring training approaches, manager Paul Molitor told Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.

Polanco was impressive at the plate last season when given a trial as the team's everyday shortstop, hitting .288 with a .751 OPS over his last 56 games. However, there were questions about his defense, which could ultimately move him to second base. Still, this shows Polanco is ahead of Eduardo Escobar at shortstop, although the Twins could still shake up their roster this winter.

Torres will begin the 2017 season with Double-A Trenton, George A. King of the New York Post reports.

The highly-acclaimed prospect, who was acquired from the Cubs in the Aroldis Chapman trade, began the transition to second base and slashed .254/.341/.386 in 138 plate appearances for High-A Tampa following last season's trade. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Torres will begin the season with Trenton and get introduced to cold weather for the first time, with his performance determining a potential promotion, despite being just 19 years old.

Petit was designated for assignment by the Angels on Monday.

Petit was designated for assignment after the Angels agreed to a one-year deal with outfielder Ryan LaMarre. At 31 years old, Petit appeared in 89 games with the Angels in 2016 as a utility infielder and finished the year slashing .245/.299/.348. Assuming he accepts his assignment, he will likely begin the 2017 season with Triple-A Salt Lake.

Fontana was claimed off waivers by the Angels on Tuesday.

Fontana struggled mightily at the Triple-A level, holding a batting average below the dreaded Mendoza Line and striking out in more than one-quarter of his at-bats, which led the Astros to expose him to waivers. That being said, the 25-year-old does possess some defensive utility across the infield and has a knack for drawing walks, but these positives likely limit his upside to that of a reserve at the major league level even if his batting average improves.